Solutions to Common Hot Tub Problems
Although there are plenty of preventative measures that can be taken to avoid hot tub problems, it goes without saying that they happen to the best of us.
Hot tub water problems are not uncommon, and as a hot tub owner, you’ll almost certainly experience foamy, milky, or cloudy water at some point. These can be easily overcome, and in the next few articles, we’ll take a closer look at common problems and solutions for hot tub owners.
Cloudy water
Dirty filters, improper sanitizing, suspended particles or organic matter, excessive oils, and overused or old water are all potential reasons why you may experience cloudy water. To get you water clear again, take the following steps:
- Test and balance pH, alkalinity and water hardness levels
- Clean or replace filter cartridge(s)
- Test and adjust sanitizer level, adding chlorine/bromine if necessary
- Drain, clean and refill the hot tub if necessary
Foamy and milky water
If there’s a build-up of foam on the surface of your hot tub or if it looks milky, you probably don’t want to be relaxing in it. These problems will come about due to high contaminants, or soap residues, a build-up in the spa plumbing system, low calcium water hardness, or the water is out of balance. Here’s how to fix it:
- Add a defoamer
- Test and increase the calcium to boost the natural hardness of spa water, if the calcium is low
- Test and adjust the pH level
- Clean or replace the filter cartridge
Discoloured water (brown, blue, green, or black water)
Water discolouration can come about if there’s excessive mineral content, metal parts in the equipment are eroding, a low pH or hardness level, or the copper, iron, or manganese in the water is being oxidized by chlorine, monopersulfate or ozone. Solutions include:
- Test and adjust the pH level
- Run the filter continuously to remove material
- Vacuum the settled material from the spa bottom
- Use a sequestering agent
Algae or musty odour
A low sanitizer level, excessive contaminants, or mould/mildew on the underside of the hot tub spa cover can result in these problems; however, they’re quite easy to fix:
- Test and adjust sanitizer level, adding chlorine/bromine if necessary
- Clean your spa cover
- Change water if necessary
Solve your hot tub problems with us
When it comes to problems with your hot tub water, there are plenty of ways to quickly solve them.